Path of the Exiled [Suri]

---

The namekian could feel something. It was faint at first, but he could feel a presence up above him, getting closer and closer as the seconds passed. It was something that once he would have considered weak—a speck of power that paled in comparison to his own—but now it was something he would consider troubling. He would have to remain cautious around whatever was coming towards him.

As the form drew within sight, Oud hummed to himself. It was nothing but a small creature that looked almost as dazed as he once was, her eyes showing an almost empty and soulless expression. Her form was most peculiar, small and blue with blackened eyes that shone with a ruby glow—an alien creature to be sure and one that he had never seen or read about, but her attire was quite plain and modern, belying the rest of her unnatural form.

A child, in any case. It was any wonder to the namekian how a child like her could have so much power as she did. He pondered if she was some sort of fighter, or if she naturally had latent strength within that tiny form of hers. If the latter was true, did the rest of her species share the same passive power as her? It would be something for him to study and research upon. But, for now, he had to deal with her.

Oud's face relaxed. He was indeed angry, but it was not something he needed to show in front of her. He would need to make himself inconspicuous. He would need to remain calm and collected as to not startle or impose on her. "No… No, child, you have not made me angry," he replied to her in a soothing voice that poured from neutral lips. He glanced over at her for a moment longer, watching her bathe herself in ice. "I was simply contemplating on how such a place came to be."

Slowly he stood up on his feet and he placed his hands on his robe-covered knees. He glanced around from left to right, taking in the scenery that was before him—a lush oasis with nothing but sand, dust and orange skies beyond it. "A strange thing, isn't it?" he said. "How does such a thing like this exist in a wasteland of sand? What act of nature allowed for this place to become what it is?"

Then, he looked down at the girl. Again his eyes fell on the ice that covered her. Not only was she strong in strength but also strong in the ways of the magical arts. It intrigued him. It edged against his mind, the fact that she was an unknown to a person who needed to know all. "But you, child, you are… interesting," he said to her as he kept a straight face. "You have much untapped power, I feel. I believe in time you will learn of your gifts and master them in less."

He took a step over the blades of grass. Then another. "Tell me, child… what is your name?"

---

The namekian raised a single clawed hand up as though to stop the young majin for speaking for a moment. "You need not apologize, young one," he responded without a hint of good will in his expression, his face still sober. "However I do appreciate your sincerity and respect. It is often a rare commodity nowadays."

It wasn't just her abilities that intrigued him but also her polite demeanour that she carried with her. It was good to see that the practice of a parent teaching their children manners at a young age was a universal tradition and not something left entirely upon Namekian society. As such, he gave her a small smile as a token and reciprocation of her respectful personality and good will.

Then, as Suri began to explain to him the geological workings of this planet, the magister turned to look back at the pond. Yes, it seemed to make sense to him now. Below the ground was likely a reservoir of water, with the oasis being the basis of that reservoir being tapped by mortal hands or by nature itself—remove the landmass and all there will be underneath is water, just like on Namek. Still, the fact that there was only this much of it led Oud to silently speculate that this place used to be covered entirely of lush, green forestry and lakes and such, turned into a sand-strewn plain by some natural occurrence some time ago.

"You are quite knowledgeable for someone so young," he praised as he wrapped his hands behind his back, thin fingers curled around the other wrist. "I am surprised, yet quite impressed with your education. You seem to have a good mix of strength both physical and mental." A part of him cringed at the fact that, again, a child was posing to be his equal, if not his greater. His fingers of his gripped hand curled into a fist for a moment before relaxing again.

But at least now he had a name to go with a face. He hummed for a moment as he took a few steps towards the pool once more, looking down into the waters. Clear as crystal with only the slightest tinge of blue from the refracted light. "I would think this water is safe, Suri," he replied to the contrary. "No doubt the rocks beneath this oasis would rid it of most impurities. Also… it seems to provide growth to the foliage here. It is safe for consumption, I can assure you."

He paused for a moment. The water reminded him of Namek once more. He remembered when he would take short leaves of the Guru's palace to travel along the shores and beachheads of the island in which he lived on. The calm waves and glistening light from the sun upon their surface always reminded him that there was always something bigger upon the horizon. He had it, once. Now he found himself gazing at such a small pond of water—a fitting metaphysical representation of his lost powers that were the size of the great namekian sea itself.

"I am Oud," he replied once he lifted his head up again. He turned back to Suri as his continued, "I am a researcher and scholar—a 'record keeper', so to speak. I came here from a planet called Namek in order to expand and explore my knowledge and understanding beyond my home—to learn more about life that exists beyond the stars."

He made his way towards her again. He stopped two feet in front of her before glancing down at her small form. He pondered for a brief moment, eyes shifting up and down scanning her body. "Unfortunately I do not know anything about your species, so I fear my help may be limited. However, perhaps I can come to understand you should you choose to accompany me for a time."

---

The magister hummed softly as he gave the small majin girl a light nod of his head. "Then I must commend your family for raising their child properly," he praised. It was not often that a parent would incline their child to take up a good scholarship, instead opting to pass down their knowledge of a trade for their descendants to carry on a legacy. Still, with as much as Suri knew, it was apparent that she would grow to be quite the intellectual. Her polite manner would get her far with her seniors as well as in life in general. "I hope you continue to carry your manners and intellect into the future, young one. I see a bright future for you."

And yet she seemed shy, almost nervous in her demeanour. Oud had hoped that he was doing well to mask his dark side from her, although he could not help if his appearance and stature were intimidating to her. Regardless he did not care about the girl's feelings towards him so long as she proved to be of some company to him in this dreadful, accursed place.

The young majin did her job fine for the most part. The namekian could not help but put on a wry grin as she complimented him on his own knowledge and intellect. "Perceptive as well as intelligent," he replied to her, once more praising her. He could get the girl to open up to him more if he continued to boost her confidence. "Indeed, my knowledge is as vast as this desert. However, there are still many a thing that I do not know about this planet. When I have regained my strength, I shall explore this world and see what other marvels it has to offer me."

However, it was quite disheartening to him that Suri could not stay with him for too long. She needed to be home by a certain time—time in which he had no concept of for such a world. When was five o'clock? An hour from now? Two? Four? Regardless he did not worry about it. "Yes, I understand," he said as he lowered his head to her out of respect for her priorities. "I would be grateful if you stayed with me for as long as you could. I would like to hear more about this place. In return, perhaps I can share with you some of my own knowledge about Namekian culture."

When she asked about a way to contact him, he merely shook his head. "I have no concept of this 'phone' you speak of, and I do not have a scouter," he replied. "Those things do not concern me. However, I shall be in this place for some time to regain my strength. If you would like to see me again, you may come visit me tomorrow at your earliest convenience. As for how long I've been here? I would say two, maybe three, days."

He paused for a moment. He reminded himself of the crashed space pod that was beyond repair at this point. It seemed deliberate for Guru to exile him in a scrap piece of metal so that he could not find his way back to Namek. He pondered on how long he had been in space for between then and now. A month? Half a year? A full year? It was difficult keeping track of time within a vast void of black and celestial bodies.

"I would like to ask you of one thing, if I may be permitted to, youngling," he spoke suddenly, though he continued before the girl could voice any disapproval, "Might you know of anyone of technical knowledge? Once I am able to leave this place, I would like to consult with someone about repairing my ship."

---

The magister nodded. The way that this young girl carried herself was one of apprehension but he knew that, in time, she would grow out of her shyness and made her strides in the world. She had a bright future ahead of her, that much was known to him, and he planned to take advantage of that sooner rather than later. He had already gained much from conversing with her—namely her trust.

The two of them continued to talk. Suri was astute in her assertion that he was able to fly—he could—though his body lacked the energy to do so for the moment. He would require more rest before he would be able to fully control his magic once more. "Indeed, I shall," he replied to her as he looked down at the palms of his hands. "I do not think walking would be much of an idea in this place. If I await for my magic to return, then I can come and go between here faster in case I ever need to leave my ship for prolonged periods. I would much prefer being able to make a quick return to not leave it alone long enough for vagabonds to pilfer."

Then, Suri pulled something out of her pocket, fumbling with the front of it with a thumb. The namekian just looked down at it, equally confused and yet fascinated by such a piece of technology. This was probably what a 'phone' was, though he was quite engaged by the fact that it doubled up as a sort of alarm for reminders as well as for communication, like a handheld scouter of sorts.

Still, technology was far beneath him. Only magic and power mattered in the grand scheme of things.

When she asked him why he chose this place to land, he merely chuckled with dry humour. "Oh, no, I did not choose to land here," he replied to her. "My ship was simply left on auto pilot to find the nearest inhabitable planet within this sector—I thought it best to start my research far, then proceed to other planets going inward back towards Namek. It was just bad luck that this area was where I landed."

Bad luck that it was, Oud contemplated on the truth of his arrival. Of all of the places that land on this backwater planet, he ended up in a barren desert instead of any other place that had some form of civilization, or any other form of life for that matter. Did those who prepared his ship purposefully set the co-ordinates for the Diablo Desert as a form of self-inflicted sabotage?

The thought made his muscles tense and his hands grip into fists as he kept them held behind his back. In his mind, he silently cursed those namekian fools for their impudence.

"But you are quite right," he continued, "for indeed it is quite lonesome out here. However, as a researcher and scholar, I tend to find solace in solitude. On Namek, my library was my refuge, with all of my books and tomes and scrolls as company. You, on the other hand, I appreciate. It is not often I am fortunate to be with others of equal intellect."

He hummed softly. Then, he took a few steps passed the majin, gazing out into the sands that lay beyond them. "To the east lays my ship," he said as he turned his head over his shoulder towards Suri. "If you would permit me, I shall take you directly to it. If you do not find me here once you return tomorrow, I will likely be where my ship has landed. Perhaps you will be able to bring your arcosian friend with you on your visit?"

---

"I am capable of flight," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, pride mixed with disdain upon those words, "but just in my current state. Much of my strength has been weakened since I have landed, so I dare not use my magic until I can regain absolute control of it." It made him bitter the fact that he risked using too much of his power lest it fail him at an inopportune moment.

He mused at the thought of being back on Namek sooner rather than later. No—for the most part he would have to spend some time here on this world. He could not go back home while still do weak. He would have to bide his time here and re-establish the power that was stripped from him. Only then could he take his revenge upon those who exiled him.

But he would keep those thoughts to himself. "Yes… In time, perhaps my return to Namek will come," he replied as he continued to take a few more steps forward onto the sands. "Although, I would like to stay on this planet for a while longer to observe its indigenous species and civilizations."

As the majin girl kept up beside him, he looked down at her as she offered her services to take him there quicker. "No," he responded abnormally quick, "no—I am quite capable of carrying myself on my own to legs… but the gesture is appreciated, nonetheless." The namekian was too proud and too arrogant to accept the aid of another person, especially an alien child of whom he knew nothing about besides her apparent intellect.

The two made their way through the desert, as empty and expansive as it was. There was scarcely a thing as far as the eye could see aside from the dunes in the plains and the occasional desert scorpion that scuttled across the sands in search of its next prey. The heat of the sun beat down upon everything, creating a shimmering façade in front of them where the heat was visible. A gentle breeze rolled through, finally, to stifle the temperature somewhat.

Although that meant that there was a good chance of a sandstorm not too far off in the future.

"I have doubts of a cave nearby," spoke the Magister as he broke the silence between them, referring to a notion the majin had said earlier. "I have noticed some mountainous areas to the far north, although what lies beyond them it unknown to me. Once we are done at my ship, perhaps I shall explore the north some more."

Speaking of his ship; he remembered that every namekian pod had a compartment sealed by a hatch that often housed emergency supplies—spare parts, distress beacons, and medical supplies. He had not noticed or even thought of it before, being too out of his mind upon landing here. He would need to get that open and see what was inside.

Though knowing the people who prepared his ship they more than likely emptied the compartment before sending him off-world.

"Still," continued Oud after a few moments, "if you cannot bring your friend here, then at least I will be able to take the ship to somewhere close by that specializes in such repairs. Once I have regained much of my strength I will be able to move the ship myself."

---

Oud can hear the drop of Suri's voice into a more sullen voice. He pondered the notion that she was upset at his declination of her help even though she had been more than helpful enough already. He had appreciated her wisdom and insight though still too proud to accept any physical favour from her. She will get over it eventually, he concluded silently.

It wasn't too long into their journey back that the majin decided to use her own power of flight over her own feet to carry her the rest of the way. A part of the Magister grimaced at seeing a strength of a sort from her that he could not perform at this point. He would get control of his magic abilities back in short time, but even that was a second too long for him.

"I am surprised that you have such an ability to control the temperature around you," he said to her though he kept his gaze forward, not giving her any visible attention. "You even created ice as well. Your thermokinesis intrigues me, I must admit."

It wasn't too long after that they would continue their discussion of the northern region. Oud listened attentively at Suri's words, taking in the information and committing it to memory just like the rest of the knowledge he had accumulated throughout his decades. Some of it was whimsical and farfetched—at least to the ears of those who knew no better. Anyone who knew about the magical arts would believe it to be true; something worth hypothesizing at worst.

"You have much knowledge of this planet's geography too, I see," he remarked with a small smile on his thin, dry lips. It was as though he was walking alongside a living encyclopaedia. He pondered extracting as much information as he could from her, though he had more pressing matter to deal with at the moment. Perhaps later down the road he will do so. "You are indeed a knowledgeable creature. I wonder if the rest of your species are like you in that regard."

The mention of North City was something that was going to stick to the forefront of the Magister's mind for days to come. Suri had hailed it as the best place to go for ship repairs, so Oud began to ponder of its culture and architecture. He had images of tall buildings made of steel and whirring cogs. Huge engines would line the streets at some sort of factorial jungle filled with glowing lights and gouts of steam from turbines and generators. It almost reminded him of the arcosian settlements on Namek.

"Well, then, I will have to visit this North City once I have the power to move my ship," he said in a more relaxed and gentle manner. "If what you say is true then perhaps I will not need the assistance of your arcosian acquaintance. I will have more hands repairing it, in any case. It will be much quicker and efficient."

His lips curved into a jagged grin. "And if they had any sense amongst them, they would not dare to cross me. My punishments can be quite… deadly."